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2026 is shaping up to be a strong year for travellers, with new hotels opening on nearly every continent. Some of the most talked-about properties are already welcoming guests as of spring 2026, while others are scheduled to open later in the year.
Here’s a roundup of new hotels worth following, from Sardinia to Budapest, Kuala Lumpur, Zanzibar, Kyoto and beyond. Several can be booked with points, so they’re worth flagging on our best credit cards page if you’re planning a trip.
The JW Marriott Costa Elena Resort & Spa, All-Inclusive opens on September 10, 2026, in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. It will be the first all-inclusive property under the JW Marriott brand, and one of the few all-inclusive resorts in Costa Rica tied to a major hotel group.
The resort is a conversion of the former Dreams Las Mareas property, near Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport. It will have 415 guest rooms, 11 restaurants and bars, a spa, a fitness centre, meeting space, and a 44,000-square-foot pool complex with 17 pools. There’s also 885 feet of beach frontage.
Cash rates start around $577 per night based on double occupancy. Marriott Bonvoy award rates aren’t available yet but should be released closer to opening.
Further north, the Perla La Paz, Tapestry Collection by Hilton is accepting reservations from June 19, 2026 (Q3 2026). It’s the first Tapestry Collection hotel in Baja California and the first Hilton property in La Paz, Mexico.
The hotel sits inside the historic Hotel Perla building on the La Paz boardwalk (Malecón), with 90 rooms, multiple dining outlets and a rooftop pool and bar overlooking the Gulf of California. Good base for whale shark tours, fishing trips, or a longer drive down the coast to Todos Santos and Los Cabos.
The Motto by Hilton Guadalajara Centro Historico is set to open in Q2 2026 in Guadalajara‘s historic district, near the Guadalajara Cathedral and the Degollado Theater.
It’s the brand’s second Mexico property, with 154 compact rooms across 8 floors, plus a coffee shop, bar and restaurant on site.
The timing is also useful: Guadalajara is a host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which starts in June, so accommodation in the city will be in high demand.
Le Méridien Toronto Pinnacle Hotel opens summer 2026 on Toronto‘s waterfront, inside the first 12 floors of Pinnacle SkyTower at 1 Yonge Street. At 106 storeys, SkyTower is Canada’s tallest building. This will also be the only Le Méridien property in Canada.
The hotel will have 223 rooms, a spa, sauna, steam room, hot tub, 24-hour fitness centre, and 3 dining venues, plus over 10,000 sq ft of meeting and event space on the second floor.
Location-wise, it’s a short walk from Scotiabank Arena, Rogers Centre and the CN Tower, with Union Station and the Financial District a few minutes away. Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport is about 3 km away, useful for short-haul travel.
The W Sardinia – Poltu Quatu is set in the village of Poltu Quatu on Sardinia’s northeast coast, between Porto Cervo and Baia Sardinia, overlooking Marina dell’Orso. It’s the third W hotel in Italy, after W Rome and W Florence.
The property has 157 rooms and suites designed by Meyer Davis, plus TANIT (a marina-front seafood restaurant), the W Lounge, the WET Deck pool terrace, and FIT, the brand’s fitness centre. An AWAY Spa and W Beach Club open later in the 2026 summer season.
The St. Regis Budapest sits inside the Klotild Palace, a Neo-Baroque, UNESCO-listed twin palace from the turn of the 20th century, near the Danube and the Elisabeth Bridge. The hotel has 63 rooms and 39 suites, including the Klotild Tower Suite and a two-bedroom Presidential Suite of 169 m² with a private balcony.
Dining is split across four venues: The St. Regis Bar (with the signature Crown Mary cocktail), 99 Sushi Bar & Restaurant for omakase, Klotild Patisserie for Hungarian and Viennoiserie pastries, and the Atrium for afternoon tea and Champagne Sabrage. The St. Regis Spa includes an indoor pool, hammam, Finnish sauna and three treatment rooms.
Cash rates start around $515 per night. Marriott Bonvoy members can book award nights from 88,000 points per night.
Formerly the Hilton Athens, the Conrad Athens The Ilisian is the brand’s first property in Greece, anchoring a new mixed-use destination on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue. The hotel has 278 rooms and suites — some of the largest in the city — plus separate Conrad and Waldorf Astoria branded residences upstairs.
The property is also home to Athens’ largest outdoor pool landscape, several restaurants and bars, a wellness offering with indoor heated pool and heat and cold therapy facilities, and the House of NYNN private members’ club. Culinary direction is led by chef Angelos Lantos, the first Greek chef to earn two Michelin stars in Athens, with Byzantino as his flagship restaurant.
The location is walking distance from the city’s main museums, shopping and the Acropolis, in the heart of the Greek capital.
Six Senses London occupies a section of The Whiteley, a Grade II-listed Edwardian landmark near Hyde Park and Notting Hill in London. The hotel has 109 rooms and suites, plus 14 branded residences and Six Senses Place London, the brand’s first private members’ club.
The on-site spa runs 2,300 m² and includes London’s first hotel magnesium pool (20 m indoor), cryotherapy, flotation rooms, a longevity clinic and a Biohack Recovery Lounge. Dining centres on Whiteley’s Kitchen, Bar and Café, with a vegetable-forward menu led by Executive Chef Eliano Crespi.
Ytri Island Retreat sits on the Træna archipelago on Norway’s Helgeland coast, a ferry ride from the mainland. The name comes from Old Norse and means “outermost.” The archipelago has around 400 permanent residents and is one of Norway’s oldest fishing communities.
The hotel is part of the Relais & Châteaux portfolio and has 38 rooms (including 6 suites), all with sea views. Design takes its cues from traditional fishing villages, by Vardehaugen Architects. On-site facilities include a seafood-led restaurant, a lounge, saunas by the sea, and a guest harbour. Activities include kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing with local hosts, and hiking.
The JW Marriott Mount Kenya Rhino Reserve Safari Camp welcomes its first guests in July 2026, set within the Solio Game Reserve between Mount Kenya and the Aberdare Ranges. The reserve is one of Kenya‘s oldest private rhino sanctuaries.
The all-inclusive camp has 19 tented sanctuaries, including a two-bedroom suite, each with indoor and outdoor living areas and mountain views. On-site facilities include a Spa by JW, a fitness centre, a swimming pool, and the brand’s signature JW Garden, which supplies ingredients to both the spa and the kitchen.
Activities are managed within the conservancy’s framework to keep visitor numbers low. Guests can take part in guided cycling safaris, nature walks, and day and night game drives to spot rhinos, lions, leopards, plains game and birdlife.
For travellers heading to East Africa with points, the Turaco Nungwi Resort, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel is a useful base. Rooms have a balcony or terrace, with views of the pool, the tropical gardens, or the Indian Ocean.
On-site dining covers two restaurants (Ngalawa for international cuisine, Fisherman’s Seafood Bar & Grill for fusion dishes), plus a swim-up pool bar and a beach bar. There’s an outdoor freshwater pool and a wellness centre.
Nearby, you can walk to Nungwi village to see the fish market, the dhow boat workshops, and local arts and crafts.
The JW Marriott Hotel Tashkent has 287 rooms and suites, a wellness centre, meeting space, and an Executive Lounge for eligible Marriott Bonvoy Elite members. The pool deck on the 5th floor has both an indoor pool and an outdoor infinity pool — reportedly the first infinity pool in the country.
It’s a good base for exploring Tashkent and the wider region, with easy access to Uzbekistan‘s Silk Road cities like Samarkand and Bukhara.
The Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur is scheduled to open in Q4 2026, marking the brand’s debut in Malaysia. It sits in the Golden Triangle of Bukit Bintang, steps from Pavilion Mall, Suria KLCC and the Petronas Towers.
This is an all-suite property: 268 suites across 23 floors, plus 7 dining and cocktail venues, including the brand’s signature Peacock Alley lounge. The 1,590-square-metre pillarless Grand Ballroom is one of the largest in the city, with over 4,250 m² of total event space available. A wellness centre, an outdoor pool and a spa round out the amenities.
The Imperial Hotel Kyoto sits in the heart of Gion in Japan‘s old capital, inside the restored Yasaka Kaikan, a nationally registered Tangible Cultural Property built in 1936. The property is on the grounds of the Gion Kobu Kaburenjo Theatre, the venue for the Miyako Odori geisha dance performances.
The hotel has 55 rooms and suites across three wings — Heritage (preserved Yasaka Kaikan), Renovation, and Extension (a new North Wing with tatami, a first for the brand). On-site dining includes REN, a French restaurant with the brand’s first chef’s counter, the Yasaka all-day dining venue, the Old Imperial Bar, and The Rooftop, reserved for hotel guests. The spa features a 17.5 m indoor pool lined with Kitagi stone, the same material used on the original 1936 exterior.
Location is a short walk from Hanamikoji Street in Kyoto‘s Gion neighbourhood.
Most of the hotels on this list belong to Marriott Bonvoy or Hilton Honors, so a points strategy can make stays more affordable, even at luxury properties.
For Marriott Bonvoy stays, the Marriott Bonvoy® American Express®* Card and the Marriott Bonvoy® Business American Express®* Card earn points on every purchase, with bonus points on stays at Marriott Bonvoy properties. Each card also comes with an annual Free Night Award, automatic Silver Elite status, and a welcome bonus.
For Hilton Honors stays, the American Express Platinum Card® and the Business Platinum Card® from American Express both include complimentary Hilton Honors Gold status. You can also transfer Membership Rewards points to Hilton Honors for free nights.
For independent hotels and other groups, flexible programs like Scotiabank Scene+ points (earned with the Scotiabank Passport™ Visa Infinite*+ Card) or Rove Miles are useful. For a full strategy, see our guide on how to save on hotels with points. To check the latest welcome offers, see our roundup of the best credit cards in Canada.
As of mid-2026, several of the most anticipated hotels of the year are already welcoming guests: W Sardinia, St. Regis Budapest, Conrad Athens, Six Senses London, Ytri Island Retreat, Imperial Hotel Kyoto, JW Marriott Tashkent and Turaco Nungwi. Others — including JW Marriott Costa Elena, Le Méridien Toronto Pinnacle, JW Marriott Mount Kenya and Waldorf Astoria Kuala Lumpur — are scheduled to open in the second half of the year.
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